


We Are One In The Same

by mbizzlexo



Category: The 100 (TV)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, F/M
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-03-18
Updated: 2015-03-22
Packaged: 2018-03-18 09:42:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 9,230
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3565010
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/mbizzlexo/pseuds/mbizzlexo
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Clarke Griffin catches her boyfriend with her new college roommate, she escapes into a stairwell looking for a quiet place to cry and is sent on a collision course with Bellamy Blake.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> So this is my first The 100 fic. I based this story off of an experience I had my freshman year of college in my dorm building stairwell.

Clarke Griffin sat in the stairwell of her dorm, pretending she wasn't crying. "I can't believe I was so stupid," she muttered angrily, allowing herself this one moment to feel sorry for herself. She considered herself smart, and yet had spent the entire first semester of her freshman year at ARC University dating a guy with a girlfriend. A girlfriend who transferred not just into her building and floor, but as her roommate. Clarke had been the only girl on the floor without a roommate after hers had vanished three days into the first semester. She hadn't said a word when she walked in, bags in hand, to see the beautiful dark haired girl kissing her boyfriend. She smiled, introduced herself, and quietly walked out without a word to Finn. She didn't know what to say, truthfully. How do you tell a girl you just met that you've been sleeping with her boyfriend for four months?  
"You okay, Princess?"  
Clarke's head jerked up at the sound of the unknown male voice. "Huh?"  
"I said, you okay princess?" She hadn't heard him enter the stairwell. "Because you're kind of in my way."  
"Oh," she responded. "Sorry." She scooted over to where the rail was, giving him enough space to continue walking up the steps.  
He paused for a second, looking conflicted. "Whatever it is," he finally said as he brushed a piece of dark hair out of his brown eyes, "It's probably not that bad."  
Clarke jumped to her feet defensively. "Yeah? What do you know about it?"  
He glanced back at the small blonde for a moment before shrugging his shoulders and beginning back up the steps. "Nothing."  
She watched him walk up, open the door to floor nine, and vanish, her anger with him. 

The fight was completely gone from her as she slowly made her way down the hallway to room 810, her room. Her fingers lingered over the handle as she willed herself to turn it and face reality.  
"Hey you're back!" A familiar face greeted her, Octavia Blake was her neighbor across the hall. The pair exchanged an excited hug and Clarke was glad for the momentary distraction.  
"Yeah, just got here a few hours ago," she smiled.  
"I saw you got a new roommate, what's she like? She cool?" Octavia asked, ushering Clarke into her room.  
"Uh, I'm not sure, we just met." Clarke flopped down on Octavia's blue butterfly print comforter, trying not to relive walking in on Finn kissing her.  
"What's her name?"  
"Raven."  
"Cute name. I hope she's cool, we need more awesome girls in our circle. I'm tired of being outnumbered by the boys, you know?"  
"I would hardly consider us outnumbered by Jasper and Monty," Clarke said, rolling her eyes.  
"And Finn. Did you forget your own boyfriend?"  
Clarke grimaced. "I don't think he's really my boyfriend anymore."  
Octavia, who was slouched in her computer chair, perked up. "What happened? You guys were like, inseparable a month ago."  
Clarke shrugged, determined she wouldn't make Raven and Octavia enemies on her first day. "He just wasn't who I thought he was."  
"He was into something weird, wasn't he?" Octavia said knowingly. "Ponys? Clowns?"  
"No, nothing like that," Clarke laughed.  
"Was it Fifty Shades of Grey?" Octavia lowered her voice as she gave Clarke a knowing look.  
"Would you stop?" Clarke smiled, throwing a pillow which Octavia easily dodged. "He was the first guy I met when I got here, I haven't given anyone else a chance, if you know what I mean."  
"My girl Clarke Griffin, playing the field, hell yeah!" Octavia high fived her enthusiastically. Clarke kept an easy smile on her face, glad to have Octavia. The girl was wild, but loyal and probably Clarkes favorite person on campus. They had also met on the first day, Octavia had helped Clarke move into her room after the elevators broke down, a common occurrence in Woods building, the oldest on campus. 

Clarke stayed with Octavia that night when Octavia let her know that Harper, her roommate, wouldn't be back until the next day, allowing Clarke to put off dealing with Raven for a little longer. When her alarm went off, however, at seven she know it was time to face reality. Octavia was already gone, having left half an hour earlier for a shower. Clarke took a deep breath and found Raven sitting on her twin bed pulling her dark hair into a ponytail.  
"Hey roomy, I was wondering when you'd show up."  
"Sorry, I fell asleep at Octavia's," Clarke said lamely, not meeting her eyes.  
"No big deal," Raven shrugged. Clarke didn't say anything else as she unzipped the bag she had dropped off the night before and began putting her clothes back into her side of the closet. Raven was watching her with interest, making Clarke really self conscious of every move that she made.  
"So what's your major?" Raven asked as Clarke quickly pulled on a pair of jeans.  
"Undecided," Clarke responded, turning her back to Raven to put on a black shirt with her favorite bands logo on the front. "Yours?"  
"Engineering," Raven said proudly, still watching her.  
"Oh, that's cool." She zipped up her jacket and pinned her bangs off to the side of her head before pulling on her boots.  
"Yeah, been taking things apart and rebuilding them since I was born."  
"It must be nice to know exactly what you want to do with your life," Clarke told her sincerely as she fished out her phone from her pocket. Eight missed calls, ten unread text messages. Her stomach dropped. She didn't want to face Finn or hear his excuses.  
"Look, I'm not trying to mess up your routine here or whatever but I have no idea where anything is, or who anyone is except my boyfriend." Raven said directly, "And I was hoping you would show me at least to my first class."  
"Sure, what is it?" Clarke agreed readily.  
"Uh," Raven pulled out her schedule, "Modern Warfare with Dr. Cage. It sounded interesting, don't judge me."  
"I'm not judging you," Clarke said, slinging her bag over her shoulder. "I'm taking it too." 

Clarkes heart sank when she walked into the room to find Finn waiting, looking at her expectantly. Raven was talking about something Clarke wasn't paying attention to, thankful that Raven hadn't noticed her freeze when she saw him. Raven made a beeline for Finn, and Clarke blindly sat down in the first empty seat she found on the opposite side of the room.  
"Hey princess." A familiar voice greeted her. Clarke looked over to see the boy from the stairwell lounging in his chair, smirking at her. "You look better than last night."  
"Shut up," she snapped, immediately irritated.  
"You sure you don't want to talk about it?" He asked again, his smile widening. He was making fun of her, she realized. She opened her mouth to give him a piece of her mind when the teacher walked in.  
Dr. Cage was younger than she expected, and being shadowed by an even younger blonde man, who sat at a desk next to the professors.  
"Welcome to Modern Warfare," Cage said as he wrote his name across the dry erase board. "We do things differently here. Each week you will be expected to come in and complete the quiz assigned to you. I leave these on my desk, just pick it up and start it. You have the entire period to do it, but I recommend you do it as quickly as you can so you don't miss the lecture. You will complete all the assigned reading, you will turn in all of the assignments on time."  
"Sounds like every class I have," a boy in the class remarked. Cage paused, focusing his laser stare on the kid.  
"You are ...?"  
"John Murphy, sir." The boy ran a hand through light brown hair, looking pleased with his disruption.  
"Shut your mouth, Murphy," Cage snapped, before looking back down at his notes. "You will also participate in the class project. The class project focuses on a group of people stranded in unfamiliar territory and an impending battle against them. You will work as a team to build a camp, to fortify yourself using only the resources within the landscape and the materials you've brought with you, along with what you're learning in the class. At the end of the semester you will stage a battle between them with a group of students I will select. Your grade will be based on how you work together, how you utilize your surroundings, and if you are able to defeat the opposing army. Right now I want everyone to pull out a piece of paper, and write down two items you'd bring with you if you were stranded in an unknown location." 

Clarke pulled out paper and a pen and hesitated for a moment, before writing down 'medical supply kit' 'a radio'. When everyone was finished, Cage spoke up again. "I'm going to go around and ask everyone what you brought. These are your items. You will need to bring these items with you during group projects. If you chose a gun it needs to be airsoft, if you picked a knife it needs to be plastic. Under no circumstances are you to bring an actual weapon, if you do you will be removed from the class and the dean will be notified. I will not warn you again." Cage looked directly at Murphy.  
"Guns," the boy next to her said, talking to a dark haired boy in front of him.  
"Same," the boy responded. Clarke wondered if her she should have thought out her choices better. 

As class was about to end, Cage let them know they would meet in the outdoor classroom on Thursday for their first group project, and after that they were on their own. Clarke stuffed her paper back in her bag and walked out, Octavia jogging to catch up to her.  
"So he's intense, huh?" She commented, falling into step with Clarke.  
"I didn't think his class would be so much work," Clarke admitted.  
"I heard at the end of the semester you stage a huge battle with upperclassmen on the quad," Jasper and Monty had snuck up on the pair.  
"Pew pew pew," Monty mimed shooting at Jasper.  
"I heard no one has actually ever beaten the upperclassmen," Octavia shot back. "What were your items?"  
"A gun and a book on botany," Jasper said promptly.  
"Gun and batteries," Monty said, sounding a little sheepish.  
"I picked a knife. More personal," Octavia grinned.  
"You were supposed to pick two," Jasper reminded her.  
"Yeah, two knives, duh."  
"What about you Clarke? Gonna kill enemies, save the day?"  
Clarke grinned. "I just be the only person who didn't pick a weapon. I said a radio and a medical kit."  
"Smart, we'll need a doctor," Monty said.  
"Finn didn't pick a gun, either," Jasper quipped. Everyone gave him a look. "What? I read over his shoulder. No big deal."  
Octavia punched him hard in the arm. "I told you not to bring him up."  
"Ow! You punch like a man!"  
"Good." 

The group split up, leaving Clarke alone for the first time all day. It was sunny and cold out, and she pulled her jacket a little closer before jamming her hands in her pocket.  
"You must be Clarke." That same male voice from class broke her out of her thoughts about Finn.  
"Excuse me?" Clarke asked, side eyeing the tall boy next to her.  
"My sister, Octavia, she never stops talking about her hilarious friend Clarke, all break it was Clarke this and Clarke that."  
"Octavia has a brother? She has never mentioned you," Clarke said in clipped tones. She could see the resemblance: thick brown hair, dark brown eyes, same high cheekbones and general facial structure.  
"She probably didn't want another of her girlfriends falling in love with me," he said with amusement. Clarke couldn't stop her eyes from rolling.  
"I seriously doubt that."  
He put a hand to his chest as if she wounded him, and began veering off to the left. "See you around princess."  
"I'm not your princess," Clarke muttered once he was out of earshot.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So wow, okay, the response has been really amazing and wow. 
> 
> So this picks up where the last chapter left off. We'll get back to Cages class soon though. I have a couple chapters written out waiting in the wings. 
> 
> Side note, I would love an editor, if anyone is interested you can find me here or on tumblr (hokusjokus), I miss a lot of stuff.

"You have a brother?" Were Clarkes first words to Octavia when they met up for lunch. Octavia looked up from her phone.   
"Is he bothering you? If he is I'll kick his ass."  
"Hardly. You've just never mentioned a brother. I assumed you were part of the only child club."  
"Nope," Octavia said seriously. "Bellamy came first, and he hasn't let me forget it since."  
"Good to know," Clarkes interest in the subject was waning as Finn walked in, his eyes scanning the room. When he found her he made a beeline for the table.   
"There you are," he said, standing there awkwardly.   
"Get lost," Octavia said quickly. "We're trying to eat."   
"I need to talk to you, seriously Clarke it's important."  
Clarke shrugged to Octavia and stood up to follow him. She couldn't delay the inevitable forever.   
"I'll be back in five."  
"Whatever," Octavia went back to texting on her phone.   
Finn led Clarke away from the cafeteria, over to a tree in the grass. "Look," he said quickly. "I never thought she would show up here, she didn't tell me-"  
"Are you really doing this right now?" Clarke asked. "She's my roommate, and she seems really nice. You need to be honest with her."  
"Things haven't been good between us in a long time," he explained. "I've known her since we were toddlers and I didn't know how to break things off with her. I thought distance would do it for me."  
"That is the worse excuse I've ever heard. Do you hear yourself right now?"   
"I thought what we had was good," Finn was pleading.   
"So did I," Clarke agreed as an oppressive coldness creeped up the back of her neck. She wanted to get away from him. "I had never been with anyone before you, I thought it was the same for you. You lied to me, and I don't want anything else to do with you anymore. I want you to leave me alone."   
"Clarke I love you," he said desperately. Clarke froze. He had never said those words before, and if it had been any other circumstances she would have found herself saying them right back. Her chest ached.   
"It doesn't matter. You lied to me, and I can't forgive you. Goodbye, Finn."   
She turned on her heel and quickly walked away, determined not to look back. She was so focused she didn't notice anyone in front of her until she was already slamming into him.   
"You walk much, princess?"   
"You," groaned Clarke, staring into the face of Bellamy Blake.   
"You're having a bad twenty four hours," he commented as Clarke watched Finn stalk past them, his face blotchy.   
"Only because I keep seeing you everywhere. Seriously are you following me?"   
Bellamy opened his mouth to retort but was interrupted by a tall, beautiful brunette attaching her mouth to his. "Ugh." Clarke left him kissing her and found Octavia.  
"So by the looks of it that did not go well."   
"He said he loved me and I told him to leave me alone," Clarke moaned, burying her face in her hands.   
"Do you want to tell me what actually happened now?"   
"He has a girlfriend. My new roommate. They've been dating for like, ever."  
Octavia leaned back in her hair and ran a hand through her hair. "Damn. I would not have pegged him as the type. Are you going to tell her?"   
"Tell her what? That I've been having sex with her boyfriend all semester?"  
"Well he should be outed as a scumbag, but I guess I can see how that might be an awkward conversation."  
"He needs to tell her," Clarke reaffirmed.   
"Want me to kick his ass?" Octavia asked. Clarke looked over at her friends completely serious face and cracked a smile. She completely believed if she said yes Octavia would do it. "No. I just want to forget he exists."   
"Let's go drinking! There's a party at the Theta Epsilon house tonight. Let's put on sexy dresses, dance with hot guys, and pretend everything is okay."  
"Yes to everything," Clarke agreed, smiling at Octavia's bright face. A party was exactly what she needed to forget the last twenty four hours. 

——

Clarke was in heavy makeup, tight jeans, and a low cut top waiting on Octavia to text her so the could go when Raven walked in, her eyes bloodshot.   
"Oh. It's you," she said, her face twisted in pain. Finn must have told her, Clarke realized. She braced herself for the angry screaming, but it didn't come. Raven stared at her for a long while before finally asking, "Are you going out?"  
Completely taken aback, Clark responded, "Yeah. Frat party."   
"Cool. Mind if I tag along?"   
"Sure."   
Clarke sat on her bed silently, trying by to watch Raven angrily try on dresses. Finally-  
"Did you know?"  
"Huh?"  
"Did you know he had a girlfriend?" Raven zipped up knee high boots, keeping her eyes fixed on the floor.   
"Yesterday. I knew yesterday," Clarke said quietly, fiddling with a piece of her softly curled blonde hair.   
"He's such an asshole," Raven offered, plopping down next to Clarke. "I'm sorry he hurt you. He hurt me too."  
"What is going on in here?" Octavia had flung open the door to find Raven and Clarke both looking sadly at the floor. "You guys look too hot to be sad. Come on, get up."   
Raven and Clarke followed Octavia to the elevator, determined to have a good time.   
"Shots fix everything," Octavia assured them as the elevator doors opened.   
"Whoa, what are you wearing?" Bellamy Blake looked outraged as Octavia stepped into the elevator, Clarke and Raven in tow.   
"Shut it," she snapped, turning her back to him.   
"I hope you're going to church," he continued on as the elevator made its slow descent to the bottom.   
"What do you know about church?" Octavia demanded, turning to face her older brother. "You want to have this conversation? Because I'll have this conversation. You want to talk about my outfit when you parade around campus with a different girl everyday? You want to talk about how you almost got kicked out of the dorms for having a haram of girls in and out of your room? Give me a break Bellamy."   
"That's different," Bellamy attempted, but miraculously the doors opened.   
"Oh thank God," Clarke muttered, stepping out quickly.   
"Save it," Octavia told her brother before grabbing Clarkes hand and dragging her in the direction of the frat houses.   
"I'll see you later!" Bellamy yelled after her, eliciting a scream of frustration from Octavia.   
"He's so overbearing sometimes!"   
"He's cute," Raven commented. Both Clarke and Octavia stopped walking to stare at her.   
"What? He is." 

——  
Clarke was successful in putting Finn, Bellamy, and everything else out of her mind once they reached the party. Cute boys, loud music, and unrestrained drinking was exactly what the doctor ordered. She had lost track of Raven and Octavia a solid hour earlier, a fact she was now quietly lamenting in her mind as she stumbled out onto the lawn. Her face was numb and her gait was all over the place. She made a valiant attempt for the sidewalk but collapsed on the grass, not far from a couple sloppily making out.   
"Ga-ross," she slurred, flopping on her back and looking up at the clear night sky. Everything was spinning slightly so she closed her eyes, focusing on her breathing and how to get home.   
"Passed out, Princess?" Bellamy Blakes voice floated into her mind and she felt the presence of someone kneeling next to her.   
"Not you," she groaned, rolling over onto her side with little grace.   
"I came looking for Octavia and found you instead. Do you know where she is?"   
Clarke pointed in what she guessed was the direction of the doors, though in reality it was towards a car.   
"She's not inside, she must have left," Bellamy muttered with annoyance.   
"Just leave her alone!"  
Bellamy looked back at Clarke, lying on her back with her eyes closed, blonde hair splayed around her head like a messy halo. "My sister, my responsibility."   
"Whatever."   
Bellamy considered the consequences of his actions and decided Clarke was way too drunk to fight back or hurt him. He stood up and grabbed both of her arms, pulling her to her feet.   
"Oh no," Clarke slurred, attempting to fall back on her butt, but Bellamy was quicker and scooped her up.   
"Let's get you home."   
"I'm fine, I can walk!" Clarke protested without making any effort to get away. She opened her eyes and looked up at Bellamy. He looked amused, or at least she hoped it was amusement. She wasn't really in a good enough place mentally to discern different facial expressions.   
"Sure you can. So, if you don't mind, can I ask you a question?"   
"What?"  
"Why were you crying the other night?"   
"Pfffft. That. So get this. My boyfriend, Finn, you know, Finn?"  
"No but go on," Bellamy urged, a smile playing on his lips.   
"Right. Well anyway, so we've been dating for forever. Since the first semester. So like, the whole time we are dating, he's got another girlfriend at another school. Okay? Messed up, right? So, he doesn't tell me this, like a decent person. Instead he lets me find out when she transfers schools and they make her my roommate and I walk in on them making out."  
"Oh shit," said Bellamy seriously.   
"Yeah," she replied drunkenly. "He was my first, you know, and it was all a big lie."   
Bellamy regretted starting this topic with her. He was completely lost. "I, uh, that's. I'm sorry," he finally stammered out, grateful that she was too drunk to notice his discomfort.   
"Well it's too late now."   
The plodded along in silence after that, Bellamy occasionally shifting her weight slightly when she'd scoot in an uncomfortable position for him. The rhythm of his steps was comforting and Clarke began nodding off.   
"Hey we're almost here, where's your room?"   
"Across from Octavia," she sleepily slurred.   
He walked her quietly to her room but stopped before opening the door. A colorful purple and green striped sock hung from the knob.   
"You have to be kidding me," he groaned. He turned and knocked several times on Octavia's door, but there was no answer. He had intended on dropping Clarke off and then heading back to find his sister, but that didn't look like it would be happening. He couldn't leave her drunk in the hallway, she could get expelled for underaged drinking if she was caught.   
With that thought, and realizing that they would both be in trouble if her RA found them, he headed up the elevator to his floor and brought her to his room. His RA wasn't concerned with girls spending the night so long as no one was too blatant or loud about it, and Bellamy was grateful for the single room. He was the only guy on the floor without a roommate.   
"Is this your room?" Clark asked when he set her on his bed.   
"Yep. Your room for the night, too."   
Clarke didn't respond and when he looked over she was asleep. He sighed, pulled a pillow off the bed and tossed it on the floor after covering her under blankets. He considered removing her shoes but thought it better to leave her exactly as she was. He made himself comfortable on the floor, sent Octavia one last threatening text message, and then fell asleep just as quickly as the girl on his bed had. 

——

The sun was barely up when Clarke woke with a pounding head and a dry mouth. She knew she wasn't in her room based on the masculine smell of sheets pressed up against her nose and her first thought was, 'oh no, what have I done?'   
She lifted her head and looked around. The room was just like every other dorm room, thick white walls, a desk shoved in a corner, a large window, closet doors haphazardly closed. Posters featuring rock bands, cult classic movies, and pretty girls in swimsuits littered the walls and clothes were spilling out of a hamper. She pushed back the dark black sheets and realized whatever boy had brought her back here hadn't left her in the night, but had instead slept on the floor.   
"Nothing happened," she said out loud as she rubbed her temples.   
"Why would you think it had?" Bellamy Blake arose from his nest of blankets like a disheveled Phoenix.   
"I had a lot to drink," she admitted.   
"I'm not that kind of guy," he frowned.   
"I didn't mean...never mind. I'm gonna go."   
"Good plan. If you see Octavia, tell her to text me back."   
"Sure thing." Clarke slipped out and darted down a flight of steps to her floor and into her room, missing the colorful sock that had slid into the floor.   
Inside Clarke found her new roommate, Raven, laying face down on the floor, her back exposed. Next to her was the TA to their Modern Warfare class, completely naked and uncovered.   
"Oh no!" Clarke said loudly, turning to face away from them right as a cheerful Octavia bounced in, still in last nights make up.   
"Hey who's the hottie?" She asked as the blonde quickly covered himself.   
"Was everyone out with someone last night?" Octavia was obviously dying to share details.   
"I'm gonna get dressed, do you mind?" The guy asked. Octavia and Clarke stepped out, shutting the door behind them. Octavia immediately pounced.   
"So where were you last night? Harper said she saw someone carrying you across campus."   
"Yeah your brother," Clarke responded, rolling her eyes. Octavia studied her seriously for a second before the smile returned to her face.   
"You know, that's actually really perfect."  
"It wasn't like that."   
"I believe you," Octavia said seriously. "For now. But, you know. Bellamy is a Blake, and you have a well documented history of being unable to resist a Blake."   
"It's kind of weird that you're trying to set me up with your brother. Who wants you to text him, by the way."   
"No it's not. That's what siblings do to get the other sibling off their back. Offer up their hot best friend as a sacrifice. And I'll text him when I turn my phone on but oh my God Clarke I met the most amazing guy last night."  
"Oh yeah?"   
"His name is Lincoln. He's incredible. We talked all night, he's got a place off campus and we went and sat outside and just talked, it was incredible."  
"Wow, that sounds great," Clarke said enthusiastically.   
"I know. I need him to call me because I'm dying to see him again."   
The door opened and Raven stepped out with the blonde, now fully clothed. "Guys this is Wick."  
"Hey," Octavia and Clarke said in unison.   
"Uh hi," he responded, running a hand through his disheveled hair. "I gotta take off..." He kissed Raven quickly on the cheek and then headed towards the stairwell.   
"Not bad," Octavia smiled at Raven.   
"I honestly don't even remember how it happened." Raven was trying to pretend it was no big deal but she couldn't contain a grin. "One minute we were giving each other shit and the next we were pulling off each other's clothes."   
"How do you feel about it?" Asked Clarke, sitting in her bed.   
"I don't know. I mean, it was nice to sleep with someone who wasn't....you know?"  
Clarke didn't, but she nodded anyway. She let her mind wander as Octavia and Raven began talking about the boys from their evenings. Clarke had spent a drunk night dancing with strangers and then being brought home by Bellamy Blake. She didn't remember talking to him, but just the fact that he would take her to his room and give up his bed made her feel a little warmer about him. 

——

 

Bellamy ran into Clarke in the cafeteria. She was walking to a drink machine, a sandwich stuffed in her face.   
"What did you tell Octavia?" He demanded. Clarke jumped, spilling ice and rootbeer all over him.   
"What?" She asked, not bothering to apologize for the spill.   
Bellamy snatched the sandwich out of her hand and steered her into an empty booth. "I have like twenty messages from Octavia."  
"Isn't that what you wanted? I told her to text you."  
"All she's texting me about is you. How wonderful you are, what your favorite colors and books and movies are, how your hair smells like coconut-"  
"How does she even know that?" Clarke interrupted.   
"What did you say?" He repeated.   
Clarke snatched her sandwich back in annoyance. "That you wanted her to text you. She made her own conclusions. If it bothers you, ask her to stop."   
"Is she not saying this stuff to you?" His dark eyes narrowed.   
"Do you think this is a plot between me and your sister to get you wifed up?" Clarke asked him sarcastically through a mouthful of bread and cheese.   
"I'm a man, I don't get 'wifed up'," he said indignantly.   
Clarke stood up and leaned over so their faces were nearly touching. "You're crying because your sister wants us to date. You sound like a sixth grade girl. Get it together Bellamy." 

"What was that all about?" Octavia asked when Clarke returned to the table they had been sharing.   
"Bellamy doesn't like your attempts at matchmaking," Clarke told her, eyebrows raised.   
"Bellamy needs to get over himself, I sent literally two text messages. Here, look." Octavia shoved her phone screen in Clarkes face. There were several messages exchanged between them, Bellamy chastising Octavia for going to a drinking party while underaged, Octavia telling him to butt out, and then:   
'I heard you brought Clarke back your place. She is way too good for you, but I can see why you're into her. Hot blonde with hair that smells like coconut is your thing, right?'   
And   
'She's really into the color green, so wear that green shirt the next time you see her, talk to her about sci fi movies like Star Wars or any books about anything, seriously.' 

"Well it's still a little weird."   
Octavia took her phone back. "Whatever. He wore the shirt so whatever he said to you was him being full of crap."   
Clarke twisted around in her seat and found Bellamy talking to another blonde girl, wearing a dark green shirt.   
"Huh. Okay, well, I'm gonna go."   
She headed towards the door and found herself once again facing Bellamy Blake.   
"You." She was distracted by the fact he would take Octavia's advice and wear a shirt that was her favorite color.   
"Me. I heard you wanted to be the doctor."   
"What?"   
"In Cages class. Jasper's been telling everyone that you have chosen to be the doctor for our project."   
"Oh. Right. Uh, yeah, you know I don't know how skilled I'd be at shooting, even with airsoft guns so I thought I'd patch people up."   
"Is that your major?" They began walking in step and Clarke had no idea where she was going.   
"No. I'm still undecided. You?"   
"Criminal justice," he said, sneaking a sideways glance at her.   
"How noble."   
"Yeah. So, uh, how are you feeling? I mean, last night you told me about Finn."   
Clarke felt cold dread snake up her back and into her throat. Anytime she really stopped to think about Finn, all she could think about was how much she hated him and herself at the same time and how she didn't really hate him at all. She missed him so bad it was physically painful and half the time she wanted to walk herself over to him and pretend none of it had ever happened.   
She had way too much pride to do any of that, so instead she said, "Oh, you know. It comes and goes."   
"Yeah. That's pretty shitty, though."  
Clarke wanted to keep talking to Bellamy, but not about Finn, and she didn't know how to tell him this. She just stayed silent as they kept walking, until they reached their building. On the other side of her, Bellamy was wondering if he sounded stupid, because he felt stupid. Here was a girl who clearly was not over her ex, and he was rubbing dirt in her wounds by making her talk about it. He knew what she really needed was a rebound, and in any normal circumstance he would offer himself up, but not for her. She was different, something about her made him want to just walk next to her in silence.   
"I'm going to go upstairs," she finally said, pressing the 8 button of the elevator. He didn't get on to join her. He didn't want to sit in his room alone.   
"I'll see you around princess," he smiled as the doors closed, separating them.   
Clarke leaned back against the cool metal and replayed the events of the last twelve hours. She had been certain he was just another self centered jack ass, but now. Now she didn't know anything at all. She didn't want to spend too much time thinking about him, afraid that she might build up their interactions in her head only to be disappointed in real life. The last thing she needed was more disappointment.


	3. Chapter 3

"Get this," Octavia slammed a flier down on the cafeteria table that Raven and Clarke were sitting at. She sat, excitement shining in her eyes. "There is a club downtown that has theme nights!"  
"Woo hoo," Raven said sarcastically.  
Clarke just shrugged and continued eating her cereal.  
"You guys are not fun before ten am," Octavia complained. "This will be so fun! A chance to let our hair down, dance a little! Well, our hair will probably be up because the theme is the sixties! Sexy pinup hair!"  
"That sounds like work. Let's take a sixties inspired nap, instead," Raven suggested.  
"I'm tired and everything hurts," Clarke agreed.  
"Okay, since like, the first day of school, all you two have done is mope around and study. It's starting to get depressing. You guys cannot be the only girls in the world to accidentally date the same guy, but you have to get over it. It's been a month. Finn is not that cute."  
Raven snatched up the flier. "I don't even have clothes for this."  
"Oh no," Clarke groaned as Octavia smiled in triumph.  
"I do. I have clothes for everything. It's a Friday, and we're going. Text Wick, tell him you're ready for round two."  
Octavia bounced off, leaving an irritated Raven and a tired Clarke in her wake.  
"We don't have to go," Raven told her quickly, but she had pulled her phone out of her pocket, her thumbs hesitating above the screen.  
"No, Octavia's right. We need to get back out there. How many times can we watch The Holiday, anyway?"  
"Yeah. You're right. But I am not curling my hair."  
"That's the spirit," Clarke said, leaving Raven to her texts. She headed out into sunshine. Too bright.  
"Ugh, this is awful."

Later that day she ran into someone she hadn't seen in weeks. It seemed as though Bellamy was going out of his way to avoid her.  
"It's you," he said, a little breathless.  
"It's me," she repeated, confused. "Clarke."  
He stood there for a moment, staring at her in a pair of dark jeans and a purple shirt, cut just low enough that the tops of her breasts were peaking out. He needed to get a hold of himself, but time away from her had not done him any favors. She was haunting not only his dreams but all his waking thoughts; she was literally everywhere he went.  
"Right."  
Clarke had never felt so awkward. It was as if overnight suddenly he decided she was less interesting than dry paint. He wouldn't even look at her when they saw each other.  
"Did I do something wrong?" She called after him. He froze, giving her a chance to catch up. "Did I accidentally step on a pet of yours?"  
"No. I just have been really busy," he said lamely, cursing himself for being so obvious.  
"Oh. How busy?" She asked curiously.  
"Why?" He was suddenly suspicious.  
"Well...if you get some free time, Octavia wants everyone to go to a themed dance downtown. Here," she handed him the flyer.  
"You're going?" He read over the details.  
"Yep. You should, too."  
His heart was pounding in chest, and his mouth was dry. Hadn't he been picturing this exact scenario? Clarke, interested in doing something with him. It was a little more public than he had imagined, but he'd take what he could get.  
"Maybe," he said, folding up the flyer.  
"Alright," she said, a flicker of disappointment on her face. "Have good day."  
"You too," he mumbled after her. Once she was completely out of eyesight he opened the flier back up.  
"What the hell did they wear back then?"

"Clarke you look bomb as hell," Raven said as Clarke slipped on a pair of red heels.  
"Thanks!" Clarke had skipped her last class to start getting ready. She had borrowed a red, sixties style cocktail dress from Octavia, that featured little white polka dots all over it. It was tight around the bust and waist before flaring out to her knees, and the straps tied up around her neck, leaving her upper back exposed. She wasn't sure this was exactly what was worn in the sixties, but had to admit the effect was nice. She had curled her hair but unlike Raven and Octavia she had left it unpinned and hanging around her face, winged her eyeliner and wore dark red lipstick.  
Raven had chosen leather and heels, with a neat ponytail, saying dresses really weren't her thing. She had dug out a leather jacket and Octavia swore she looked like a more badass version of the pink ladies, and had traded the dress she was wearing for a style similar to Ravens. Octavia had added a large red flower to her hair and a messy pompadour for effect. 

"I feel stupid," Raven complained as they walked. The town was small and easy to get around without a car. Every fifth vehicle or so would honk at them and shout something stupid, and by the third time Raven was seething and shouting insults at the offenders.  
"Oh relax, we'll be there in a second. See, it's right up ahead."  
Outside Wick and a large man were waiting for them. Octavia immediately introduced him as Lincoln, they guy she'd been seeing since that first night back. Clarke could see why she liked him, he was not only incredibly good looking but very quiet. He listened intently to everything Octavia said without adding much.  
"He's perfect," Raven whispered to Clarke as they stepped inside. Clarke nodded in agreement.  
Her eyes swept the room for any sign of the other Blake, but all she found we're Monty and Jasper hanging out on the edge of the dance floor in regular clothes.  
"Did you know they can't keep you out, no matter what you're wearing?" Jasper asked her when she approached.  
"Yeah but it kind of kills the fun, doesn't it?" She laughed back.  
"Nah. We just came so Jasper could check out Octavias new boyfriend."  
"He's hunky," Jasper said good naturedly. "Time to set my sights on some other lucky lady."  
"Come with us to Reapers," Monty urged. Reapers was a bar right off campus notorious for serving minors without asking a lot of questions.  
"No, you stay!" Clarke replied, smiling.  
"Oh no. Come meet us after you're done here, okay?"  
She agreed and watched them leave, thinking about how easy it was with them. The pain over Finn was dulling, and lately she went longer stretches without thinking about him. Even when he did pop up in her memory it wasn't the sharp ache like it had been before.  
She turned her attention to the dance floor. Raven and Wick were no where to be found but Octavia and Lincoln were both dancing enthusiastically. A cursory glance around found Wick an Raven sitting a secluded table in the corner, talking animatedly about something she couldn't hear. She took a step forward to join Octavia on the dance floor when a hand clapped itself on her shoulder. She spun around and found Bellamy looking every bit like James Dean in a white t shirt and leather jacket, tight jeans and slicked back hair.  
"This isn't as cool as you made it sound, Princess," he said over the music.  
"You came though," she smiled, causing his heart to momentarily stop.  
"Yeah," he agreed lamely.  
"Do you want to dance?" She asked, her eyes bright. He felt like he was trapped inside one of his better dreams about her, and he knew he needed to be careful. She was still getting over an ex.  
"I don't really know how," he said, adopting a surly tone.  
"That's fine," she said, as she pulled him onto the dance floor. Her hands were warm and soft in his and he didn't put up much of a fight. He was actually enjoying it, once he got the hang of it. He spun her around dramatically, laughing with her, when he caught sight of his sister kissing a much older man. His good mood instantly evaporated into anger. How many times had he witnessed this exact scenario, older guys trying to take advantage of his younger sister? Back home it happened too often, with him having to swoop in and save her before something much more terrible happened.  
He strode away from Clarke and up the kissing couple, tapped Lincoln on the shoulder. When Lincoln turned around Bellamy didn't miss a beat; he punched him hard, right in the jaw. He felt his hand crunch against Lincolns jaw and he swore, shaking out his hand.  
"Don't, he's my brother!" Octavia shouted but Lincoln had already swung his fist back. It collided with Bellamys face, sending him flying into Clarke.  
"That's it, you're both out of here!" A bouncer grabbed them both by the back of their jackets and dragged them out. Octavia pulled Clarke to her feet as Raven and Wick ran over to them.  
"You're bleeding!" Raven told Clarke, touching her lip. Clarke brushed her off and the four headed outside. Lincoln and Bellamy were standing apart, Bellamy pacing back and forth like a caged animal. Octavia ran up to him and shoved him hard. "What's wrong with you?!" She screamed, tears forming.  
"What's wrong with me?!" Bellamy repeated incredulously, "what's wrong with you?! Look at him, he's thirty!"  
Octavia was openly crying now, while Clarke, Raven, Wick, and Lincoln all watched on as uncomfortable spectators.  
"He's twenty two, the same age as Wick," Octavia said, shifting her weight from one foot to the other. "And I'm not a little girl anymore! I don't need you constantly running in playing the hero! I can take care of myself!"  
"That would be a first!" Bellamy shot back cruelly.  
Octavia shook her head and quickly wiped away tears. "Leave me alone, Bellamy." She turned to face Clarke. "Take him home."  
"Are you okay?" Lincoln asked her, causing Bellamy to start forward, but Raven and Clarke stopped him.  
"Let it go," Raven said.  
"She's eighteen!" He said angrily.  
"They're not sleeping together," Clarke told him softly.  
"We're gonna head out," Raven whispered to Clarke, who nodded, her eyes fixed on Bellamys bleeding face.  
"Come on," she finally said when Raven and Wick were out of earshot. "Let's go home."  
"No, don't tell me what to do Clarke. You go home!" His eyes were burning with anger. Clarke took a step back.  
"Sure," she responded, turning on her heel sharply and walking away quickly. She could tell he wanted to lash out at someone, but it wasn't going to be her.  
She took off her shoes as soon as the club was out of her line of sight, frustrated that once again she had been abandoned. The pavement was rough and cold against her feet and was making her feel better about the entire situation. Both Blakes had overreacted.  
"Hey, Clarke, wait!" Bellamy was a good ten feet behind her, jogging to catch up. She didn't say anything when he reached her so he grabbed her shoes out of her hands.  
"Hey!" She protested.  
"I'm sorry," he said matter of factly. "It wasn't your fault."  
"It wasn't Octavias fault either," she shot back, wanting to defend her friend. "You need to give her some room to breathe."  
"I know." Bellamys slumped his shoulders in defeat. "She's not a baby anymore, it's just, our parents weren't really....the greatest. I've always looked after her. She used to get herself in a lot of trouble."  
"She's not that girl anymore," Clarke assured him, slowing down a little. "If you keep acting so aggressive, she's gonna push you out for good."  
"I know. I know," he admitted. He took a deep breath. "I'll work on it." 

_____

Clarke and Bellamy walked in silence the rest of the way to their building. She honestly didn't know what else to say to him, and felt like it would be cheap to fill the quiet with meaningless chatter. They still didn't know each other very well, although she wanted to.  
"Want to come up?" He asked her once they were inside the lobby. He was still holding her shoes and his face was crusted with dried blood and sweat.  
"Sure," she agreed, walking into the elevator with him. The night was early and no one thought twice about the two of them going into his room together.  
"Want some ramen?" He asked her once they were safely inside.  
"Sure. Do you have a wash cloth? Your face is pretty bloody."  
Bellamy paused and looked at his face in the mirror, wincing when he touched the wound.  
"It was kind of stupid of me to start a fight with him, huh?"  
"Yeah," Clarke agreed seriously.  
Bellamy shrugged and divided ramen up into two cups and shoving them in the microwave.  
"I don't have bowls," he admitted sheepishly. Clarke found it charming and accepted the fork he handed her. They sat on his bed in silence, again, as they slurped down their noodles, and when she was done Clarke fished out a wash cloth.  
He set his cup on the floor.  
"Playing doctor in real life, too, Princess?" He teased, feeling a little breathless. Their knees touched as she scooted closer and began gently wiping away blood.  
"My mom is a doctor," she said, focused on his face. "So I have a little practice."  
"Oh yeah?" His voice was husky. She didn't notice.  
"Yeah. I always wanted to be exactly like her, but....now I don't know."  
"Parents let you down." He could sympathize.  
"Yeah they do."  
She went to move when she realized how close they were, just inches from each other. His face was upturned towards hers and all she had to do was lean down and press her lips against his. The thought held promise, and she was almost resolved to do it when both of their phones began buzzing in unison. The noise jolted both of them apart and Clarke fumbled for her phone. 

'Meet at Jaha building in five, bring guns' was all the message read.  
"Did you get the same message?" Bellamy asked, showing her his phone screen. "What do you think it's about?" She asked. "Probably battle one," he said excitedly, grabbing his gun. "Come on, let's run down to your place and grab your stuff." They sprinted down to Clarkes room, which was unsurprisingly empty. "Turn around," Clarke instructed, barely waiting before unzipping her dress and throwing on a tshirt and jeans. In moments she had her shoes and jacket on, and was grabbing a pair of walkie talkies and a medical kit she had put together, mostly plastic kid stuff but also bandaids and some antiseptic, just in case someone got hurt for real.  
"Let go," she instructed.  
They sprinted across campus to the Jaha building, and were met by Monty and Raven.  
"Oh thank God," Monty said when he saw Clarke.  
"What's going on?" Bellamy asked. Before Raven could answer, Murphy and Miller came running out of the shadows.  
"Run!" Miller shouted. Clarke started to protest when a paintball went whizzing past her face.  
"Why do they have paintballs?!" She shouted as they took off towards the east corner of the lawn.  
"Because they're cheating assholes!" Murphy responded, barely ducking another shot.  
"There's an enclosed bus station right over here," Raven called, and they all followed. Inside they found Finn, Octavia, and Jasper huddled inside, their guns piled on a chair. Jasper had a bright yellow splotch across his face.  
"What is going on?" Clarke demanded.  
"It's a fucking ambush!" Murphy shouted, slamming his hand against the plexiglass. "They have all our numbers, called us out, just so they could show us who's boss."  
"It's probably just a right of passage," Finn said reasonably.  
"Oh, hazing," Murphy responded sarcastically. "That's so much better."  
"Would you two shut up?" Octavia hissed. "We need a plan to get out of here."  
A rain of paint splattered against the glass in an array of colors, but no one came into the enclosure for them.  
"I guess this is home base," Clarke commented once the assault was over.  
The door flung open and a small brunette, Maya, ran in. "They're everywhere," she gasped, showing the group a blue stain on her leg. "And they're shooting at close range."  
"Fanfuckingtastic," Murphy muttered.  
"We can't stay in here, they'll eventually come in for us," Raven said angrily.  
"Our best bet is to split up and run," Bellamy finally said. "There's only one way out and they caught us unaware and unprepared."  
"So we just accept defeat?" Octavia said incredulously.  
"Live today, fight tomorrow," Miller agreed.  
"This is a terrible plan. People are going to get hurt." Clarke told him.  
"I know," Bellamy responded. "We'll make them pay. We will meet back here tomorrow and form a plan of action."  
Clarke stood by the door and nodded.  
She flung the door open and they all went running out in separate directions. Clarke could hear the others shouting and the sounded of paint balls shooting out towards them. One hit her in the knee causing her to go flying towards the ground, a burning pain shooting up her leg.  
"Come on, get up!" Bellamy was right behind her, yanking her up by her arm. She stood back up and started to run again, only to find it was too difficult, her knee was refusing to cooperate.  
"Just leave me," she snapped, the sound of paintballs whizzing past them.  
"Don't be stupid," he retorted angrily. A paintball slammed into his face, right where Lincoln had punched him. They both looked over to see Lincoln watching them, his gun pointed directly at him. Bellamy shouted a stream of obscenities at him and Lincoln aimed again, but paused when the sound of Octavia screaming filled the air. Without a glance back Lincoln was gone, running towards the sound.  
"She'll be fine," Clarke assured him, and the two were off again, heading back towards their dorm building. Another paintball hit Bellamy in the bicep but he kept going as fast as he could, while helping Clarke limp along. A green paintball hit her in the back right before they made it into their building. She swiped her key across the pad and the two safely entered the building, sweaty and covered in paint.  
"You alright?" He asked, panting.  
"No, those were some cheap shots," Clarke groaned.  
"Let's get upstairs."  
Clarke limped behind him, sending Octavia and Raven quick texts letting them know she was safe and asking that they text her when they were, too.  
"Who does that?" Bellamy asked angrily once they were safely locked in his room. His face was bright red and bruising around the edges, though the paint made it difficult to see how bad it was. Clarke rolled up her pant leg to reveal a perfectly round purple and blue bruise forming in the center of her knee.  
"That's going to sting in the morning," Bellamy commented as he wiped away the paint.  
"You didn't have to come back for me, you know," she told him. He scoffed.  
"What good is a leader without a doctor?"  
"Oh is that what you are? Our leader?"  
He shrugged. "I didn't see anyone else offering up viable solutions."  
"Your solution was to run and hope for the best. If that was a real battle we'd all be dead," she reminded him, pointing at her knee.  
"Well it wasn't," he shot back. "And now we know what we're up against." The paint was off his face, and he looked raw and angry. Clarke shrugged off her jacket where another paintball had hit her and sighed. She doubted it was going to come out.  
Bellamy dug through his closet and pulled out a green tshirt and black basketball shorts. "Here," he tossed them to her. "They're probably a little big."  
Clarke held them in her hands, looking at him. "Are you asking me to stay?"  
He froze. It had honestly never occurred to him she wouldn't. He forgot she had a perfectly good room a floor below him. He opened his mouth to say something, but she turned around and pulled her shirt over her head. Her hair fell to her shoulder blades and her skin was smooth. He spun around quickly to give her privacy, his mouth dry. He didn't move until he heard his bed squeak. He honestly wished he had never offered her anything and had sent her downstairs. She looked like perfection sitting in the middle of his bed in his two big clothes and bright red lips. Girls did not look like this in real life. She was a dream he was having, he thought, totally fixated on her.  
"Do you want to sit down?" She asked, wondering why he was staring at her blank faced. He blinked twice and then nodded, relaxing. He rummaged around in his closet again, pulling out more clothes, and without warning her yanked off his shirt and tossed at it the hamper, missing by a few inches. She stared, wide eyed at shirtless Bellamy, his muscles just peaking under skin, and just like that he was covered again. She averted her gaze when he slid out of jeans and into shorts.  
"Want to watch a movie?" He asked, turning on the television he had on his desk.  
"Yeah," she said almost too brightly, her thoughts lingering on his smooth stomach. "You pick."  
He settled down next to her, both of them leaning against the headboard but not touching. She closed her eyes, breathing in and then out softly. Next to her Bellamy was doing the same.  
"Long night princess."  
"Long night," she agreed


End file.
